Gabriella Nilsson

What are your ambitions for the coming term? Which issues are important, and why?

If elected Pro Dean for First and Second-Cycle Education, my ambition during the coming term would be to help ensure that the Faculties of Humanities and Theology continue to offer a broad range of high-quality and relevant educational opportunities that are also financially sustainable. It is clear that the economic situation in the years ahead will be uncertain, and we cannot assume that funding for higher education will increase. We therefore need efficient administrative processes, pedagogical approaches that maintain quality, and forms of collaboration that help make visible the importance of our disciplines in a changing world.

I believe that collaboration across subjects, departments, faculties and universities will become increasingly important, as will close cooperation with the sectors in which our students are likely to play a significant role. It is more important than ever that we are able to communicate clearly the knowledge and competencies our education provides, while also listening carefully to the skills and forms of knowledge that society will need in the future. Developments in AI are one example. We are already doing many things well in this area, but I believe there is considerable potential to do more.

At the same time, it is important that our education becomes even more inclusive, particularly in relation to new groups of students. All students, regardless of background, should feel able to find their way within the academic environment and receive early support in understanding the often unspoken expectations of higher education. A welcoming approach, clarity, and a genuine interest in students’ different experiences are important to me. I look forward to working closely with the student unions on these issues.

What will be your highest priorities?

My highest priority would be to create the conditions for educational programmes and courses that are sustainable in the long term, at a time when economic pressures are increasing and students’ needs and expectations are changing. After many years of a rather one-sided focus on the employability of humanities graduates, I have the sense that something is beginning to shift. There is a growing recognition that without the humanities, society risks losing something essential, not least in relation to democratic values and critical reflection. I see the current faculty leadership’s work on Lund Humanities Village as an exciting initiative that has helped draw renewed attention to our disciplines, and I would be pleased to contribute to its continued development.

More generally, I hope that the faculty leadership will work in close partnership with departments and Heads of Department. After all, it is within the departments that our core activities take place. It is there that expertise resides, and where many of our most important external relationships are built and maintained. The role of the faculty leadership should be to create the best possible conditions for our subjects to remain strong, relevant and sustainable.

For me, Directors of Studies will be a particularly important group of academic leaders. I believe they need stronger support and a clearer mandate in strategic discussions about education. I look forward to working closely with them on questions relating to educational planning, finances and the long-term development of our educational portfolio, and to exploring new forms of collaboration both within and beyond the university.

What important experiences do you bring to the role of Pro Dean for First and Second-Cycle Education?

One important step towards financial sustainability, I believe, is ensuring that departments have the conditions they need to work strategically with their educational activities. This includes making it easier to gain an overview of costs, understand what drives them, and identify possible ways forward. At the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, we have worked actively in recent years to develop a sustainable and strategic educational portfolio, and gaining a clear understanding of the actual costs of our activities has been one of the most challenging aspects of my work as Head of Department. That experience is something I would bring with me into the role of Pro Dean.

At the same time, financial sustainability also depends on strong collegial support for pedagogical development. We need to continue exploring ways of making education more inclusive and of higher quality while using our resources responsibly. I believe this can be achieved through creative course design, collaboration with partners outside academia, and greater student involvement in education. Coming from ethnology, a subject with a long tradition of collaboration beyond the university, I also bring experience of working closely with external partners and stakeholders.